CA23: The Party of Appeasement - How Rep. Jay Obernolte Conservatives Are Handing Victory to Russia, Allowing Genocide, and Bowing to Every Authoritarian on Earth

 

There was a time when conservatives like Rep. Jay Obernolte wrapped themselves in the flag, preached about “peace through strength,” and warned that weakness abroad invited danger at home. That era is over. Today’s conservatives aren’t defending America’s global leadership—they’re destroying it. By coddling Russia, equivocating on Israel, sneering at NATO, and abandoning the very idea of soft power, the right is appeasing our enemies and leaving the United States exposed.

Take Donald Trump’s latest excuse-making. After Russian drones violated Polish airspace—an unmistakable challenge to NATO. Trump does what he always does...chicken out, suggesting it “may have been a mistake.” 

A mistake? This isn’t a toddler spilling milk—it’s a nuclear-armed authoritarian power testing NATO’s resolve. To wave it away is not just naïve—it’s appeasement. It tells Vladimir Putin he can push further without consequence, that America no longer has the will to defend its allies.

Instead of reaffirming our ironclad commitment to NATO, conservatives treat it like a bill they’d rather not pay. They whine about “burden sharing” while ignoring the obvious: NATO is the shield that has kept Europe stable for 75 years. Undercutting it only serves Moscow’s interests. Every muttering about NATO being “obsolete” is music to Putin’s ears—and a knife in the back of our allies.

Instead of pushing for a two-state solution—the only viable path to lasting peace—conservatives have abandoned diplomacy altogether. They give Israel a blank check as it entrenches occupation, expands illegal settlements, and carries out policies that amount to ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their homes and lands.

This isn’t strength; it’s moral cowardice. By enabling Israel’s displacement of Palestinians while dismissing international law, conservatives are not only green-lighting systematic oppression, they are sabotaging America’s role as a credible broker of peace. Every time Republicans sneer at the idea of Palestinian statehood, they signal to the world that the U.S. no longer stands for self-determination or human rights—only raw power for its chosen partners.

And just like with Russia, conservatives mistake appeasement for strategy. They believe turning a blind eye to injustice will buy stability. In reality, it guarantees more bloodshed, more extremism, and more instability—while dragging America’s reputation deeper into the mud.

The right has also declared war on America’s soft power. They dismiss diplomacy as weakness, mock foreign aid, and undermine international institutions. What they don’t seem to grasp is that influence isn’t built solely on bombs and sanctions. It’s built on trust, credibility, and moral authority. By shredding that authority, conservatives are turning America from the global anchor of democracy into just another fickle, unreliable superpower.

Conservatives love to talk tough, but their record is crystal clear: they are appeasers. They don’t stand up to bullies abroad—they enable them. And in doing so, they are dismantling the very strength they claim to cherish.

Photo by Mohammed Ibrahim on Unsplash